CHURCH SPONSORED RECREATION (Part 1 of 2)

By Rodney Pitts

Over the past 20-30 years, there has been a dramatic shift in the direction of the work of most churches of Christ. Churches that once performed the simple works of preaching the Gos­pel, edify­ing the saints, and helping their needy, now place a great deal of emphasis on the work of providing recreational activities for the members. With this change have come announcements of church sponsored pizza parties, cookouts, ball teams, camps, ping pong tournaments, smiling contests, and even pie throwing contests at the church building! Don’t believe it’s gone that far? Well, I can produce the proof!

One of the more frightening things about this shift is that these recreational activities have be­come so much the “norm” among most churches of Christ, that any church that objects to them is immediately branded as “anti” and in opposition to the ways of Christ. Considering these churches’ determination to go “full speed ahead” in the area of recreation, surely the scriptural evidence in fa­vor of church recreation must be overwhelming, right?? Well, that is the question that we want to address. For, if the scriptures condone church sponsored recreation, no one can object; but, if God’s word shows it to be an unscriptural addition, we must reject it with every ounce of our strength (Rev. 22:18-19).

Recreation and the Revelation of the Spirit

In I Corinthians 2:9-13 Paul emphasized that when he declared the “testimony of God” to the Corinthians, he “determined not to know anything among [them], save Jesus Christ, and him cruci­fied” (I Cor. 2:2). Although we know that Paul did not mean that he preached on no other subjects but Christ and the crucifixion (i.e., Paul spoke of baptism and the Lord’s Supper - 1:13-14, 11:17ff), his point is that all that he preached was directly related to God’s sav­ing plan for mankind through Jesus Christ. Why did he restrict his mes­sage this way? Because the Spirit restricted his message to these points! Paul, like every other per­son, was dependent upon the revelation of the Spirit to know the acceptable ways of God (read I Cor. 2:9-12). He could not preach what he “thought” God would want, but only what the Spirit revealed. We, too, are under the same obligation (II John 9; I Cor. 4:16). Therefore, anything we might desire to do or preach “in the name of Christ” has to first be found within the words of the Spirit, which were written by the Apostles and prophets in the N.T. (see I Cor. 2:13; 14:37).

With this in mind, it is necessary to ask some questions concerning whether church sponsored recreation is truly a part of the revelation of the Spirit. The first question that comes to mind is whether anyone can confidently say that church recreation is directly connected to the message of “Jesus Christ, and him cruci­fied”? If someone an­swers “yes,” I won­der how any church or preacher could pos­sibly be pleasing to God if they did not em­phasize recreation?? Are there any parts of God’s plan we can leave out?

Second, if recreation is directly con­nected to God’s plan for saving mankind, you would expect to find: (1) the first cen­tury church being com­manded to provide recreation; (2) some guide­lines given to the church in this area; and (3) at least one example of recreation being practiced by the local church in the N.T. Yet, not one of these can be found! How can it be part of the “things of God” if the Spirit has said nothing about it within the word (I Cor. 2:11)? I can easily find where the church was involved in evangelism, edification, and benevolence; but, I have never found or been shown one single scripture that even mentions church recreation. Doesn’t that sound a bit strange for a work that is di­rectly connected to “God’s plan of salva­tion”? Brethren, think about it.

Recreation Is Optional?

If recreation is a vital part of the N.T. church’s work as many brethren are now claiming, then how could it possibly be an optional work? I know of no one, however, that says a church must provide recreation or be condemned by God. Yet, churches of Christ are obligated to do the works of Christ (i.e., evangelism, edification, and be­nevolence) if they have the ability and the opportunity. A church cannot simply take or leave the job of evangelism, etc., and be acceptable to God. Yet, is anyone ready to say that any church of Christ that has the opportunity (which most all do), and the ability (whether it be large or small), must do all the rec­reation for its members that it can possibly do or be condemned of God? I have no problem saying this about the works of evangelism, edification, and be­nevolence. But, will anyone say this about recreation? If not, then recreation cannot be a part of the work of Christ for the church! &

The True Holy of Holies

By Bob Myhan

The epistle to the Hebrews was written to convince Hebrew Christians that the blessings and promises of the New Testament are superior in every way to those of the Old. Among other things the author points out, Jesus is

“a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (8:2).

Like its Old Testament counterpart, “the true tabernacle” has two parts: the Holy Place, into which all priests could enter in their official capacity, and the Most Holy Place—or Holy of Holies, into which

the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing (9:7-8).

The first part of “the true tabernacle” is the church, where saints,

as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).

Peter does not speak here of the collective worship of saints in the assembly itself, necessarily, but of the work of saints themselves, whether as individuals or as a collective local body. Wherever we happen to be at any given time, we should be offering up spiritual sacrifices. These include the sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15), sacrificial giving (2 Cor. 8:1-5; 9:1-7), the sacrifice and service of faith (Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6-8), and our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1-2).

The second part of “the true tabernacle” is heaven itself.

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another--He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 9:24-26).

One day all the faithful will be allowed into the true Holy of Holies, for Jesus has entered it as our forerunner.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Heb. 6:19-20).

There is a sense, of course, in which the body of the Christian is a temple, in that he need not go to a particular location to worship God acceptably, as an individual. &